This invention relates to sending a vehicle ID to an RF transmitter associated with a sensor on a vehicle, and in particular a tire pressure sensor, such that the vehicle ID and a transmitter ID are sent to a monitoring control for the sensor to identify the vehicle on which the sensor is mounted.
Modern vehicles are being provided with more and more sensors. In particular, modern vehicles must now be equipped with tire pressure monitors. In the most popular configuration, each of the tires on a vehicle is provided with a tire pressure sensor that periodically sends a signal to a vehicle control.
Each tire pressure sensor has an associated identification code, such that the signal can be received by the control, and associated with a particular vehicle tire. Thus, this control must be able to “learn” the identification code for each of the sensors associated with the vehicle to which the control is assigned.
To perform this learning function, it is common to initiate the sensors to send a signal to the control while the vehicle is still in a factory environment. In one known method of learning, an initiator is brought adjacent to each of the tires on a vehicle. The initiator sends a signal that is received by the sensor on the tire. The sensor then generates its own signal which includes the sensor identification code, and which is transmitted to the vehicle control. Typically, the signals from the sensors being sent to the control are RF signals, which potentially have a relatively long range.
Often, many vehicles are having their transmitter identifications “learned” at any one time. Thus, a problem could arise in which an adjacent vehicles carries a tire pressure sensor which is sending its signal, and which is captured and “learned” by a control on an adjacent vehicle.
It would be desirable to eliminate this potential misidentification of a sensor.